Samoa SLowa, that's right we are settled into our beach Fale here in Samoa. After hpping from hotel to sailboat to another hotel we will spend eight days here in Samoa doing nothing but getting on each others nerves. Back in Fiji Joy's favorite bathing suit is now probaly on some Fijian so our first day was spent looking for one of those.Now you would think that being surounded by the Pacific ocean there would be a beach wear store on each corner,not. The Samoans swim in their street clothes and everybody else remembers to bring theirs. Well after a couple of hours of searching we found her a bathing suit and our vacation was saved!

Back at Coconuts Beach Club we found out that drinks are included with dinner so we have learned to drink fast and eat slow.Another plus is that since we are staying seven days they do your laundry for free!What else could make a vacation sweeter. A Geco shaped pool yes,and central a/c in the room. A shower that mimics a water fall I think we have found the perfect spot.

Well to be truthful we have not done much here except sit around like lumps, today we took a driving tour of the eastern side of the island,we found the sliding rocks and they were alive today with all the rain on the mountain. Us three guys decided to show how manly we were and slide down these steep arse water falls.I shredded my bathing suit but was other wise unhurt. Stopping off at the freshwater cave we had another cool dip after lunch and traveled the rest of the way around the island.

We came back around to the east side of the island to witness the distruction caused by last years tidal wave.Whole villages were wiped off the map.Wrecked cars were everywhere all sides of them smashed. In one Village alone there were 51 deaths somepeople were never found. Where homes stood there was nothing left but the cement floors.A large earthmover sits idle were it last ran beaten badly by the waves.Graves of the dead are scattered throughout the remaining village tributes to the causalties of the waves.The Earthquake was at 6:30 in the morning the wave approached Samoa 10 minutes later.In two minutes everything was lost.The wave was estimated at 15 feet and washed cars and trucks half a mile from where they were parked. The worst hit villages were at the base of a steep hill and the villagers had nowhere to run as the road ran along the coast.Even with all of this distruction and the local Goverments waste of the donations the people still waved at us as we drove through knowing why we slowed down.

Anyway today we will return to the Black Sand beach we snorkeled there the other day and te reef is on the return after being damaged by the wave. You have to cross a couple of streams to get there the water half way up the doors. We have been told of a fresh water pool with a ladder to dive in we may try and find it today also.As our vacation days grow short we think of te snow back home and wish for more days with our new Samoan friends and families.